oO'Or0t0>0  00  OOO  O'0  O'O'O  O  O'0 


THE  LEGEND  OF  THE 
SACRED  IMAGE 


BY  SELMA  LAGERLOF 


CHRIST  LEGENDS 

Translated  by 
VELMA  SWANSTON  HOWARD 

"  Idyllic  stories  dealing  with  scenes 
from  the  life  of  Christ.  So  exquisitely 
told  as  to  give  a  lesson  in  literature  to 
the  young  reader." 

— Boston  Transcript. 

Decobated.    $1.25  Net. 


HENRY   HOLT  AND    COMPANY 
Publishers  New  York 


I9I4 


.Xy^    ^5L     ►^    v^    ►S,  ^2: 


Copyright,  1914 

BY 

HENRY  HOLT  AND  COMPANY 


Published  October,  1914 


THE  LEGEND  OF  THE 
SACRED  IMAGE 


336301 


THE  LEGEND  OF  THE 
SACRED  IMAGE 


[N  old  peasant  woman  walked 
along  the  main  street  of 
the  city  of  Palermo,  leading 
a  donkey  that  was  laden  with  two  bas- 
kets filled  with  garden  truck.  Behind 
them  strode  her  husband,  who  occa- 
sionally prodded  the  animal  with  his 
staif. 

At  a  corner  they  came  upon  a  jeering 
throng  of  people  who  had  surrounded 
a  monk,  and  who  seemed  to  be  con- 
vulsed with  laughter  at  .what  he  was 
saying. 


4    *  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

The  two  came  to  a  halt,  attracted 
by  the  unusual  sight. 

"Husband,  dear,"  the  woman  said, 
"let  us  stop  and  hear  what  the  holy 
man  is  saying.  He  seems  to  be  a  jolly 
friar  and  I  wouldn't  mind  closing  the 
day  with  a  good  laugh. " 

"Nor  should  I,  in  faith,"  the  man 
replied.  "The  day's  work  is  ended,  so 
why  deny  ourselves  a  little  fun,  par- 
ticularly as  it  costs  nothing." 

They  elbowed  their  way  into  the 
crowd  and  when  they  were  near  enough 
to  the  speaker  to  distinguish  his  fea- 
tures they  were  utterly  amazed.  He 
was  certainly  no  jester,  as  they  had 
thought  him.  He  stood  there  talking 
with  the  most  solemn  countenance. 
This  fact,  however,  seemed  only  to 
add  to  the  amusement  of  his  hearerf5. 

"How  can  this  be!"  the  old  woman 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  5 

exclaimed.  "That  monk  looks  most 
devout,  yet  why  do  all  these  people 
laugh  at  him?" 

"You  mustn't  marvel  at  our  laugh- 
ter," said  a  man  in  the  throng  who 
overheard  her  remark.  "This  monk 
comes  from  Lucca,  in  Italy,  and  is 
begging  donations  for  a  sacred  image 
which,  it  appears,  is  to  be  found  in  a 
church  of  that  city.  He  asserts  that 
the  image  has  the  power  to  increase 
a  hundredfold  all  offerings  made  to  it. 
Can  you  imagine  anything  more  ab- 
surd!" 

'T'm  only  an  ignorant  farmer,  may- 
be that's  why  I  don't  understand  how 
he  can  find  this  so  very  absurd,"  the 
old  man  whispered  to  his  wife. 

They  kept  crowding  nearer  and  near- 
er that  they  might  hear  with  their  own 
ears  the  monk  declare  that  anyone  who 


6  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

would  make  an  ofFering,  big  or  little, 
to  the  sacred  image  of  the  Crucified  One 
which  had  been  preserved  in  the  Lucca 
Cathedral,  would  be  repaid  a  hundred- 
fold. 

The  monk  gave  his  assurance  in  a 
most  convincing  manner,  but  the  popu- 
lace seemed  to  regard  it  as  a  joke. 
For  every  word  that  he  uttered  the 
laughter  grew  louder  and  the  jests 
more  familiar. 

"I  can't  understand  these  city  folk," 
said  the  simple  old  peasant  woman. 
"Don't  they  consider  this  a  great  offer? 
I  only  wish  I  had  something  to  give  to 
that  Sacred  Image!" 

"You  are  quite  right,"  the  man 
agreed.  "Look  at  the  monk!  He  is 
an  honest  and  trustworthy  man  who 
knows  what  he's  talking  about.  Were 
I    one    of    these    rich    townspeople    I 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  7 

shouldn't  hesitate  to  give  him  my  entire 
fortune,  to  get  it  back  a  hundredfold!" 

"Dearly  beloved  husband!"  cried 
the  woman,  "make  your  words  good! 
We're  not  so  very  poor  ourselves. 
Have  we  not  our  truck-garden,  our 
hut,  and  our  old  donkey?  True,  they 
wouldn't  bring  any  great  sum  if  sold; 
but  just  consider  that  all  at  once  it 
would  become  a  hundred  times  greater! 
Then  we  should  never  lack  for  bread  to 
the  end  of  our  days. " 

"You  take  the  words  out  of  my 
mouth!"  exclaimed  the  husband.  "All 
our  lives  long  we  have  toiled  and  striven 
without  being  the  richer  for  it.  The 
time  is  nearing  when  we  can  no  longer 
work  and  we  must  not  miss  this  chance 
of  providing  for  a  comfortable  old  age. " 

With  that  their  minds  were  made  up. 

The  following  day  they  went  over 


8  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

to  a  neighbor,  a  sensible  and  well-to-do 
farmer,  to  see  if  he  would  not  purchase 
their  hut,  their  garden  and  their  old 
donkey. 

The  rich  farmer  had  long  wished  to 
become  owner  of  the  little  plot  of 
land,  which  adjoined  his  own  property, 
and  was  therefore  pleased  with  the 
offer;  but,  as  behooves  a  good  neighbor, 
before  the  purchase  was  effected  he 
naturally  wanted  to  knovvr  what  the 
old  couple  expected  to  live  by  after 
disposing  of  their  property.  And  on 
learning  how  they  intended  to  invest 
their  money,  he  said: 

"  It  is  a  fact  that  I  have  long  wanted 
your  garden,  to  lay  out  a  road  across 
the  land,  but  I  can't  take  upon  myself 
the  responsibility  of  granting  your  wish 
when  I  see  that  you  mean  to  use  the 
purchase  money  in  such  a  foolish  way. 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  9 

We  have  been  neighbors  now  for  up- 
ward of  thirty  years  and  I  don't  want 
to  become  a  party  to  your  undoing." 

Whereupon  the  old  couple  explained 
that  the  monk  had  said  the  sacred 
image  had  the  power  to  repay  them  a 
hundredfold. 

"Why  not  as  well  a  thousandfold?" 
laughed  the  neighbor.  "Such  things 
are  said  by  all  monks  from  force  of 
habit  without  expecting  to  be  taken 
seriously. " 

The  rich  farmer  put  up  every  ob- 
jection that  an  honest  man  should  in  a 
case  of  this  kind.  Only  after  the  old 
couple  had  threatened  to  offer  their 
property  to  another  neighbor  did  he 
yield.  He  purchased  everything  for 
the  sum  of  thirty  florins,  which  he 
counted  out  of  a  leather  pouch. 

"Here    is    your    money,"    he    said. 


lo  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

"Only  don't  cast  the  blame  on  me  when 
it's  all  gone  and  there  is  no  other  course 
open  to  you  but  to  beg!" 

"Good  neighbor,  when  you  see  us 
again  we  shall  have  a  hundred  times 
as  many  florins  as  we  possess  to-day," 
declared  the  old  woman.  "So  why 
should  we  trouble  you  or  anyone  else 
by  begging?" 

"  Well,  you  two  are  certainly  so  crazy 
it's  not  worth  while  to  talk  sense  to 
you!"  laughed  the  farmer.  "And  now 
tell  me  what  you  mean  to  do  first  .^" 

"What  we  mean  to  do!"  repeated 
the  poor  old  peasant.  "Why,  neighbor, 
what  else  should  we  do  but  go  to  Lucca 
with  our  offering,  and  lay  it  before  the 
Sacred  Image?" 

"I  verily  believe  that  monk  was  a 
sorcerer  who  turned  your  heads!"  said 
the     rich     farmer,     highly    indignant. 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  ii 

"How  can  you  imagine  that  the  statue 
of  a  saint  is  able  to  pay  you  to  the 
penny?  Moreover,  why  should  you 
more  than  anyone  else  be  assisted  in 
such  a  marvelous  way?  I  have  a 
daughter  who  has  been  ill  now  for  more 
than  a  year.  If  you  but  knew  how  much 
I  have  sacrificed  for  her  sake,  both  to 
Saint  Rosalie  of  Palermo  and  to  other 
saints!  But  think  you  that  I  have 
been  helped?  No!  Let  me  tell  you 
that  not  a  blessed  saint  has  so  much  as 
moved  a  finger  for  her.  She  will  soon 
be  leaving  me.  That  means  the  end  of 
all  happiness  for  me  in  this  life." 

When  the  rich  man  had  said  this,  he 
waved  a  good-bye  to  his  old  neighbors 
and  went  hastily  into  his  house;  for  he 
was  ready  to  burst  out  crying. 

The  two  old  peasants  stood  there  a 
moment  and  gazed  after  him. 


12  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

"It  is  indeed  true  that  no  one  is 
spared  sorrow,"  remarked  the  old  wo- 
man, drying  her  eyes.  "Dear  husband, 
for  pity's  sake  keep  in  mind  that  we 
must  implore  the  Sacred  Image  to  en- 
lighten our  good  neighbor  as  to  why 
his  prayers  are  not  answered.  He  is  a 
kind-hearted  man  who  surely  deserves 
to  keep  his  beloved  child." 

Then  the  old  couple  went  back  home 
to  bid  an  affectionate  farewell  to  their 
faithful  donkey.  That  done,  there  was 
nothing  further  to  keep  them  in  the 
home  district.  So  they  set  out  imme- 
diately on  their  journey  to  Lucca.  Not 
wishing  in  any  way  to  reduce  their 
florins  they  determined  to  go  all  the 
way  on  foot,  and  in  order  to  procure 
food  for  their  needs,  and  night  harbor, 
they  had  to  resort  to  begging. 

The  journey  proved  by  no  means  an 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  13 

easy  one,  still  they  made  their  way 
without  much  let  or  hindrance  till  they 
came  to  Messina,  from  which  point 
they  had  to  be  ferried  across  the  strait 
that  divides  Sicily  from  the  mainland. 
On  reaching  the  harbor  they  found  a 
little  boat  intended  for  travelers  who 
journey  on  foot  and  carry  but  little 
luggage.  They  expected  to  board  the 
boat  without  further  ado,  but  were 
turned  back  by  the  boatman,  a  wretched 
galley  slave  who  was  chained  to  the 
craft  with  strong  iron  shackles. 

"No,  no,  my  fellow  Christians!"  the 
man  protested,  "neither  of  you  can 
come  aboard  till  you  have  paid  a  half- 
florin  for  the  passage." 

He  had  stretched  himself  out  on  the 
rower's  bench,  as  best  he  could,  and 
shot  the  pious  wanderers  a  forbidding 
glance.     For  the/  had  come  down  to 


14  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

the  ferry  in  the  worst  midday  heat, 
when  all  activities  were  suspended  and 
the  boatman  was  allowed  a  couple 
of  hours'  rest. 

"My  good  man,  I  see  that  you  take 
us  for  beggars  who  would  use  your 
services  without  paying  for  them," 
said  the  old  peasant;  "but  such  is  not 
the  case.  On  the  contrary,  we  are  on 
our  way  to  Italy  to  invest  our  money 
and  when  we  return  we'll  be  rich  enough 
to  pay  you  ten  florins  if  you  so  wish. 
Only  help  us  across  free  of  charge  this 
time  and  you'll  never  regret  it!" 

The  galley  slave  raised  his  head  a 
little,  leered  at  them  through  half- 
closed  eyes,  then  settled  back  again. 

"Well,  you  look  as  if  you  must  have 
a  deal  of  money  to  invest!"  he  scoffed. 

"As  true  as  I  live  I  have  in  my  pouch 
no  less  than  thirty  florins,"  assured  the 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  15 

old  man,  "but  I  don't  want  to  touch 
these  because  they  are  meant  for  some- 
body who  pays  back  a  hundredfold  all 
one  gives  to  him.  You  understand,  of 
course,  that  I  don't  care  to  dip  into 
this  sum  but  would  rather  pay  you  on 
our  return." 

This  time  the  boatman  raised  his 
head  with  a  little  more  interest. 

"Who  is  it  that  pays  back  a  hun- 
dredfold.'*" he  asked. 

"Who  else  could  it  be  but  the  Sacred 
Image  at  Lucca!"  the  poor  man  ex- 
claimed. 

Whereupon  the  galley  slave  burst 
forth,  with  a  laugh  of  derision: 

"Let  me  tell  you  that  I'm  under  or- 
ders to  demand  a  half-florin  from  each 
person  I  ferry  across  the  Strait.  How- 
ever, during  my  rest-hour  I  have  the 
right  to  carry  you  across  free  of  charge. 


i6  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

Oh,  don't  thank  me  for  this!  since  it 
would  be  a  far  greater  charity  on  my 
part  not  to  take  you  further.  But  as 
I  have  no  desire  to  be  charitable  you 
shall  get  over  into  Italy.  Once  you  are 
there,  you  will  probably  find  your  way 
to  Lucca,  where  you  shall  see  how  you 
have  been  taken  in." 

Then  he  motioned  to  them  to  step 
aboard.  Throughout  the  entire  passage 
he  said  not  a  word,  but  when  they  put 
in  at  Reggio  he  took  up  anew  his  iron- 
ical tone: 

"  Since  you  are  so  confident  that  this 
image  will  help  you,  I  want  to  say  that 
no  one  can  have  sent  up  more  prayers 
than  I  who  sit  here  chained  to  the  oars ! 
I  should  also  have  received  help  since 
I'm  not  here  for  any  crime  committed 
by  me,  but  in  consequence  of  an  unjust 
sentence.    The  mighty  powers  of  Heav- 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  17 

en  should  know  of  a  remedy  for  such 
wrongs;  but  I  can't  see  that  any  of  them 
has  taken  the  trouble  to  do  aught  for 
me!" 

When  the  two  old  peasants  had  left 
the  boat  and  were  walking  along  the 
strand  the  old  woman  remarked  that 
all  the  world  was  richer  in  sorrow  and 
misfortune  than  she  had  ever  thought 
possible. 

"Yes,  it  is  certainly  filled  with  the 
despairing,"  agreed  the  husband.  "Dear 
wife,  we  mustn't  forget  to  ask  the 
Mighty  Image  why  this  man  receives 
no  answer  to  his  prayers  and  why  he 
cannot  be  freed  from  his  misery." 

Thereupon  they  continued  their  jour- 
ney, which  consumed  not  only  weeks 
but  months.  Finally,  one  evening,  they 
came  to  a  city  they  were  told  was  Lucca. 

"Husband,  dear,"  said  the  old  wo- 


1 8  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

man  as  they  passed  through  the  city 
gate,  "I'm  very  glad  we  have  at  last 
reached  Lucca.  If  you  feel  as  I  do,  let 
us  go  at  once  to  the  Cathedral,  for  I 
can  neither  eat  nor  rest  until  I  have 
seen  the  Sacred  Image." 

"I'm  of  your  mind,"  said  the  man. 
"  But  if  we  expect  to  present  our  offer- 
ing to  the  Image  to-day,  we  must  make 
haste;  Vespers  will  soon  be  over  and  the 
church  gates  closed." 

Although  the  old  couple  were  tired 
after  an  all-day  tramp  they  stepped 
along  faster  and  faster  and  when  they 
were  within  sight  of  the  Cathedral  they 
started  to  run.  But  nevertheless  they 
were  too  late.  The  sacristan  stood  on 
the  church  steps  thrusting  the  heavy 
bunch  of  church-keys  under  his  belt 
when  they  came  up. 

"Ah,  Signor  Sacristan!  Signor  Sac- 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  19 

ristan!"  the  old  woman  began,  for  she 
was  the  first  to  arrive.  "Won't  you 
take  pity  on  us  and  let  us  into  the 
church — only  for  a  few  seconds?  You 
don't  know  how  long  we  have  tramped! 
We  have  come  all  the  way  from  Pa- 
lermo with  an  oifering  for  the  Sacred 
Image  in  there  and " 

^^Signor  Sacristan!"  cried  the  old 
man,  interrupting  his  wife,  "we  are  no 
beggars!  You  see  here  a  pouch  con- 
taining thirty  florins,  which  we  intend 
to  give  to  your  wonder-working  Image, 
knowing  that  it  will  come  back  to  us  a 
hundredfold." 

In  their  eagerness  they  had  seized 
hold  of  the  sacristan's  robe,  to  detain 
him.  But  this  eagerness  on  their  part 
almost  made  the  church  custodian 
think  them  a  pair  of  lunatics. 

"What's  the  matter  with  you?"  he 


20  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

shouted.  "The  church  is  closed  for  to- 
day. There  will  be  no  Mass  here  before 
morning." 

"Dear  friend,"  said  the  woman,  "we 
don't  want  to  hear  a  Mass!  We  have 
churches  and  priests  a-plenty  in  Sicily, 
so  we  certainly  didn't  have  to  come  all 
this  long  way  because  of  that.  We  are 
here  for  the  sole  purpose  of  giving  thirty 
florins  to  your  Sacred  Image,  for  we 
know  that  He  pays  back  a  hundredfold 
all  offerings  made  to  Him." 

The  poor  woman  spoke  now  with 
more  assurance  than  ever,  since  she 
was  in  a  place  where  she  felt  certain  of 
being  understood.  But  the  sacristan 
was  as  much  astonished  at  her  asser- 
tions as  all  the  others  had  been. 

"Good  Signor  Sacristan,  you,  surely, 
must  know  the  real  facts!  It  was  a 
monk  from  this  city  that  told  us  all 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  21 

about  the  Sacred  Image  down  at  Pa- 
lermo." 

"My  good  people,  I  assure  you  that 
I  know  nothing  about  it,"  said  the 
sacristan,  "  and,  moreover,  I  don't  com- 
prehend a  word  of  what  you  are  saying. 
You  had  best  relate  fully  everything  in 
connection  with  this  matter.  You  ap- 
pear to  be  sensible  folk,  but  you  talk 
like  lunatics." 

As  they  told  him  their  story,  the 
church  custodian  thought: 

"If  these  people  have  been  so  fool- 
hardy as  to  tramp  from  Palermo  to 
Lucca  in  order  to  give  their  money  to 
the  Sacred  Image,  it  will  be  futile  to 
deny  them  entrance  to  the  church.  At 
all  events,  they  are  not  likely  to  go 
from  here  with  anything  short  of  my 
opening  the  door  for  them." 

He  took  the  keys  from  his  belt  to 


22  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

unlock  the  door,  meanwhile  making  a 
final  attempt  to  undeceive  them. 

"Well,  my  friends,"  he  said  as  he 
turned  the  heavy  bolts,  "it  is  actually 
true  that  in  this  church  there  is  an  old 
image  of  Our  Saviour;  but  it  is  in  a  very 
dilapidated  condition.  It  hangs  un- 
noticed on  a  pillar  and  none  who  wor- 
ship in  this  church  say  prayers  to  it. 
I  pledge  you  my  word  that  in  the  five 
and  twenty  years  I  have  been  sacristan 
at  the  Cathedral  it  has  performed  no 
miracle." 

The  two  old  peasants  were  exceeding- 
ly astonished  at  these  statements. 

"Oh,  my  friends!"  the  sacristan  went 
on,  "if  this  image  had  the  power  you 
ascribe  to  it,  it  should  at  least  do  some- 
thing for  this  rosebush  by  the  wall! 
Once  it  decked  the  entire  wall  with  the 
most  beautiful  roses,  but  for  the  past 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  23 

two  years  it  has  ceased  to  blossom.  I 
water  and  tend  it  as  well  as  I  can  so 
that  it  looks  quite  fresh  and  green.  I 
can't  understand  why  I  shouldn't  see  it 
once  more  in  all  its  floral  glory!" 

He  sighed  heavily  and  looked  so 
troubled  that  the  poor  old  pilgrims 
finally  assured  him  that  as  soon  as  they 
stood  before  the  Sacred  Image  they 
would  ask  why  the  rosebush  no  longer 
put  forth  any  buds.  But  apparently  he 
attached  no  importance  to  their  prom- 
ises. 

"Now,  hurry  along!"  he  said,  throw- 
ing open  the  church  doors,  "  and  I  will 
remain  just  outside  and  wait  for  you. 
You'll  have  no  difficulty  finding  the 
image,  for  it  hangs  on  the  pillar  nearest 
the  lighted  lamp." 

The  old  couple  were  certainly  aston- 
ished at  his  story,   but  their  faith  was 


24  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

in  nowise  dimmed.  They  had  hardly 
noticed  that  the  door  was  open,  when 
they  rushed  into  the  church. 

But  once  inside,  they  paused;  for  in 
this  ancient  house  of  God,  with  its  few 
and  narrow  windows,  reigned  absolute 
darkness.  Far  back  flickered  a  tiny  red 
flame;  but  how  to  find  their  way  to  it 
without  stumbHng  against  pillars  and 
tombs  they  did  not  know. 

The  old  woman  took  a  step  forward. 
She  came  near  falling  down  a  stairway, 
but  checked  herself,  utterly  terrified. 

"Dear  husband,  this  is  certainly  ill- 
luck!  To  know  that  the  Sacred  Image 
is  but  a  step  or  two  from  here,  yet  not 
to  be  able  to  reach  it!" 

"Keep  quiet  a  moment,  till  our  eyes 
become  accustomed  to  the  darkness  in 
here,"  whispered  the  man.  For  he  was 
too  deeply  awed  by  the  sanctity  of  the 
place  to  utter  a  loud  word. 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  25 

All  at  once  it  seemed  to  them  that 
the  little  red  flame  which  burned  at  the 
farther  end  of  the  church  had  been  cut 
in  two.  Half  of  it  began  to  shoot  hither 
and  thither  and,  wherever  it  moved, 
candles  were  lighted  upon  altars  and 
candelabra,  so  that  the  darkness  was 
quickly  dispelled. 

"O  husband,  dear!  you  see  there  are 
lights  back  there.  Now  it  won't  be 
hard  to  find  the  Sacred  Image." 

"Dear  wife,  the  sacristan  was  more 
kindly  disposed  than  he  made  it  appear. 
He  must  have  entered  by  way  of  the 
sacristy  to  light  some  candles,  that  we 
might  find  our  way  around.  Only  I 
can't  understand  why  he  should  go  to 
all  this  trouble  for  us.  Two  or  three 
candles  would  have  been  quite  enough; 
but  you  see  that  not  only  the  main 
altar  is  lighted  up  but  the  chapels,  too, 
and  all  the  hanging  lamps." 


26  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

That  was  true.  The  whole  church 
was  ablaze  with  light.  The  poor  peas- 
ants were  at  that  moment  so  absorbed 
by  their  thoughts  of  the  wonder-work- 
ing statue  that  they  no  longer  marveled 
at  the  numberless  lighted  candles,  or  at 
how  they  had  become  lighted. 

"It  must  be  that  this  is  some  special 
Saint's  Fete,"  said  the  woman.  "Any- 
how I'm  glad  the  candles  are  lit.  I 
always  feel  doubly  solemn  when  I  see 
many  burning  candles  in  a  church.  Do 
you  know  what?  I  wish  I  might  hear 
the  organ ! " 

This  was  no  sooner  spoken  than  a 
succession  of  faint,  soft  strains  were 
heard  from  the  organ  loft. 

"No,  but  listen!"  exclaimed  the  old 
man.  "To-night  you  get  everything 
you  wish  for.  And  what  beautiful  play- 
ing in  this  church!    Such  glorious  music 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  27 

I  have  not  heard  even  at  the  Cathedral 
in  Palermo." 

"It  is  so  sweet  that  one  could  well 
believe  an  angel  was  playing!"  said  the 
old  woman.  "But  anything  less  than 
that  I  had  not  expected,  either,  in  this 
church.  Now  I  only  wish  it  were  also 
filled  with  incense,  for  the  clouds  of 
sweet  incense  always  make  me  feel 
that  I  am  in  a  holy  place." 

She  had  barely  uttered  this  wish, 
when  the  old  man  said  in  tones  of  sur- 
prise: 

"Did  you  ever  sense  such  a  delightful 
fragrance?  This  is  the  most  delicate, 
the  faintest  and  the  sweetest  incense  I 
have  ever  smelled." 

They  saw  no  person  swing  a  censer 
any  more  than  they  had  seen  an  organ- 
ist in  the  organ  loft;  nor  did  they  try  to 
reason  out  how  all  this  had  come  to 


28  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

pass.  They  lived  only  in  thoughts  of 
the  Sacred  Image.  Now  they  began  to 
move,  that  they  might  soon  come  to  it. 
They  walked  very  slowly  up  the  center 
aisle,  for  to  them  it  would  have  seemed 
most  unfitting  to  exhibit  any  haste. 

When  they  were  about  in  the  middle 
of  the  church,  they  stopped.  Some  one 
was  coming  toward  them.  It  was  a 
tall,  beautiful  woman  in  an  azure  robe 
and  crimson  mantle.  She  wore  on  her 
head  a  little  crown  of  pearls  and  pre- 
cious stones,  and  around  her  neck  and 
arms  were  costly  jewels. 

She  greeted  the  old  peasants  with  the 
friendliest  of  smiles — as  a  hostess  might 
have  received  honored  and  longed-for 
guests — and  asked  what  they  were  seek- 
ing in  the  church  at  this  late  hour. 

"Most  honored  Lady  Queen!"  said 
the  old   woman   in  joyful   tones— for 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  29 

such  a  kind  and  beautiful  face  she  had 
never  before  looked  upon — "we  have 
come  hither,  my  husband  and  I,  to 
make  an  offering  to  the  Sacred  Image 
which  hangs  on  a  pillar  in  this  church." 

Whereupon  the  old  couple  began,  as 
usual,  to  relate  their  entire  story,  from 
the  evening  they  had  heard  the  monk 
preach  in  the  street  at  Palermo  to  their 
meeting  with  the  sacristan  on  the  church 
step. 

The  Stranger  regarded  them  all  the 
while  with  the  same  kindliness;  but  it 
seemed  to  them  that  her  countenance 
had  taken  on  a  sad  expression  during 
their  recital. 

"Alas!"  she  said  when  she  had  heard 
all,  "it  is  not  for  me  to  determine  if 
your  hopes  are  to  be  realized.  But  I 
fear  the  worst.  There  is  nothing  so 
rarely  to  be  met  with  as  the  faith  that 


30  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

God  is  able  to  grant  the  wishes  of  men. 
Suffering  sometimes  comes  as  a  punish- 
ment for  wrongdoing.  As  an  example, 
only  look  at  the  sacristan,"  she  con- 
tinued. "He  complains  because  a  rose- 
bush which  is  very  precious  to  him  no 
longer  puts  forth  any  buds ;  but  he  does 
not  consider  that  this  is  meant  as  a  re- 
minder to  him.  Lo,  these  many  years 
he  has  allowed  the  sacred  images  of  the 
saints,  which  you  see  all  around  us,  to 
go  to  rack  and  ruin  for  lack  of  care. 
He  never  gives  them  a  thought,  yet  he 
finds  it  hard  that  God  does  not  bring  to 
pass  the  thing  he  has  set  his  heart  upon, 
which  would  be  a  very  simple  matter, 
for  the  sacristan  need  only  know  that 
he  must  sprinkle  the  rosebush  with 
water  from  another  and  a  purer  spring 
to  make  it  bloom  again.  But  first  the 
man  must  understand  that  he  who  ex- 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  31 

pects  God  to  adorn  the  rosebush  for 
him  should  not  neglect  to  have  all  the 
images  left  in  his  charge  stand  forth  in 
their  full  glory  and  ornamentation." 

"We  might  have  known  there  was 
some  such  cause  for  it!"  sighed  the  old 
couple.  "Truly  we  have  sinned  more 
than  he,  yet  we  have  come  hither  with 
full  faith  in  the  promise  given  to  us." 

The  beautiful  lady  elevated  her  eye- 
brows a  little,  then  went  on  speaking  in 
the  same  sweet  tone: 

"A  firm  faith  is  a  good  thing,  but  it 
is  not  enough  to  make  your  prayers 
reach  God.  You  might  perhaps  wish 
for  something  that  would  be  hurtful  to 
you.  You  have  but  just  told  me  about 
a  poor  galley  slave  who  rows  a  boat  be- 
tween Messina  and  Reggio.  Only  a  few 
years  ago  he  was  a  rich  merchant,  and, 
moreover,  a  good  man  who  wronged  no 


32  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

one.  But  he  was  such  a  slave  to  high 
living  and  bodily  pleasures  that  he 
would  have  brought  upon  himself  terri- 
ble sicknesses  and  would  probably  have 
been  dead  long  ago  if  God  had  not  sent 
misfortune  to  him.  It  so  happens  that 
a  thief  had  stolen  a  crown  of  precious 
stones  from  the  head  of  an  image  of  the 
Virgin  at  this  Cathedral.  To  avert  sus- 
picion from  himself  the  thief  removed 
one  of  the  precious  stones  and  slipped  it 
into  the  pocket  of  the  rich  merchant. 
This  stone  was  found  on  him;  he  was 
charged  with  the  theft  of  the  Madon- 
na's crown,  and,  despite  all  his  protesta- 
tions of  innocence,  was  doomed  to  be 
chained  to  the  oars  and  to  row  travelers 
across  the  Strait  for  the  rest  of  his  days. 
Nothing  would  be  easier  than  to  help 
him,  for  the  real  thief  hid  the  crown  in 
a  corner  of  the  belfry  and  left  it  there. 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  33 

The  instant  this  is  found  the  merchant's 
innocence  will  be  established  and  he  will 
be  freed.  But  how  can  God  sanction 
this  until  the  man  has  had  a  change  of 
heart?  Were  he  to  be  helped  before 
that  happens  he  would  at  once  plunge 
into  his  old  manner  of  living  and  go  to 
certain  destruction." 

"Dear,  gracious  Lady,  we  are  glad  to 
know  that  this  is  the  real  cause  of  the 
man's  suffering  under  an  unjust  sen- 
tence. We  have  thought  that  perhaps 
it  was  thus.  As  for  ourselves,  we  don't 
know  whether  that  which  we  desire 
would  be  helpful  or  harmful  to  us;  we 
have  only  that  promise  to  hold  to." 

The  lovely  apparition  raised  her  eyes, 
as  if  impatient  at  their  persistency,  then 
continued  in  a  voice  that  became  gentler 
the  longer  she  spoke: 

"A  firm  faith  is  a  good  thing,  but  it 


34  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

IS  not  certain  that  for  this  alone  God 
will  answer  your  prayers.  It  may  be 
that  He  would  first  teach  you  to  be 
content  with  the  good  already  bestowed 
upon  you. 

"  In  this  connection  I  am  thinking  of 
your  good  neighbor,  the  rich  farmer. 
Besides  the  beautiful  daughter  who 
is  ailing  there  is  still  another,  but 
she  is  plain  and  slightly  deformed; 
therefore  he  has  always  been  unkind  to 
her.  Yet  she  is  intelligent,  industrious 
and  good-hearted,  and  very  helpful  to 
him.  Her  sufferings  have  so  moved 
God  that  He  has  sent  sickness  upon  her 
sister,  and,  although  it  could  be  very 
easily  removed,  for  it  is  only  due  to  a 
poisoned  comb  which  a  spiteful  Arab 
woman  sold  to  her,  still  she  must  perhaps 
die  from  it  if  her  father  cannot  by  some 
other  means  be  taught  to  love  both 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  35 

children  equally.  The  sick  girl  need 
only  stop  combing  her  hair  with  the 
dangerous  comb  to  legain  her  health; 
but  this  will  not  come  to  pass  until  the 
father  learns  to  value  the  treasure 
which  God  has  given  him  in  his  homely 
daughter." 

"Verily,  the  more  I  hear  you  speak, 
most  gracious  Lady,  the  more  I  am  as- 
sured of  God's  wisdom  and  justice!" 
said  the  old  woman.  "Certainly  we 
two  old  people  have  often  neglected  to 
thank  Him  for  His  many  blessings,  but 
all  the  same  we  trust  in  the  promise 
made  to  us." 

At  these  words  the  most  radiant 
smile  illumined  the  features  of  the  noble 
lady,  and,  motioning  to  the  old  peasants 
to  follow  her,  she  said: 

"I  have  cautioned  you,  my  friends, 
but    I    perceive   that   you    cannot   be 


36  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

shaken  in  your  purpose.  But  consider 
once  more  the  difficulties  of  getting  an 
answer  to  prayer,  before  you  part  with 
your  florins." 

Without  waiting  for  a  reply  she  con- 
ducted them  to  a  certain  pillar  and 
pointed  upward.  On  this  pillar,  near 
the  ceiling,  there  hung  a  large  cross  of 
age-darkened  wood  upon  which  was 
fastened  an  image  of  the  Christ  so  un- 
like all  other  presentations  of  the  Cruci- 
fied One  they  had  ever  seen  that  they 
turned  to  their  guide  to  learn  if  they 
had  gone  aright. 

"This  image  is  very  old,"  she  ex- 
plained, "and  poorly  preserved;  but,  in 
truth  it  is  a  presentation  of  my  Son, 
the  Crucified  Saviour." 

The  old  couple  were  now  so  intently 
regarding  the  sacred  image  that  for  the 
moment  they  did  not  grasp  the  full  im- 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  37 

port  of  her  words.  This  came  to  them 
later. 

"Husband,  dear!"  whispered  the  old 
woman,  "the  saint  up  there  almost 
frightens  me  with  his  thick  eyebrows 
and  sunken  eyes.  It  distresses  me  to 
see  him  pictured  without  a  beard.  I 
don't  recognize  him!" 

They  pondered  also  that  the  image 
was  clothed  in  a  tunic  of  black  velvet, 
belted  at  the  waist,  and  was  shod  in 
wooden  sandals.  Moreover,  it  was  cov- 
ered with  dust  and  must  have  hung 
there  for  ages  without  receiving  either 
inspection  or  care. 

"You  appear  to  be  greatly  troubled," 
said  their  guide.  "You  had  expected 
that  the  Master  whose  help  you  seek 
should  present  a  wholly  different  ap- 
pearance." 

"Dear,  gracious  Lady  Queen!"  the 


38  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

old  man  protested,  "we  think  nothing 
of  the  kind.  We  are  glad  we  did  not 
immediately  recognize  Him,  We  know 
it  was  thus  when  He  wandered  here  on 
earth:  He  was  lowly  in  His  outward 
man  and  people  did  not  at  once  under- 
stand that  He  was  the  Son  of  God." 

The  Strange  Lady's  face  fairly  glowed. 

"Then  present  to  Him  your  offering," 
she  said. 

Without  another  word,  the  two  old 
people  fell  upon  their  knees  and  bowed 
their  heads  to  the  stone  floor: 

"O  Christ,  Son  of  God!  accept  our 
offering  and  hear  our  prayer.  Here  are 
the  thirty  ff^orins  we  got  for  our  garden, 
our  hut,  and  our  old  donkey.  We  have 
brought  them  here  all  the  way  from 
Sicily,  knowing  that  you  pay  back  a 
hundredfold.  Let  not  our  faith  be  put  to 
shame,  but  grant  us  sufficient  for  our  needs, 
that  we   may   enjoy  a   serene  old  age,^^ 

While  they  were  praying  the  old  man 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  39 

detached  the  pouch  from  his  belt  and 
pushed  it  toward  the  pillar  which  sup- 
ported the  cross. 

They  repeated  the  same  prayer  with- 
out raising  their  heads.  Suddenly  they 
heard  a  slight  noise  above  them.  They 
glanced  up;  the  wooden  image  had 
loosed  a  hand  and  a  foot  from  the  nails 
that  pierced  them.  The  old  woman 
gripped  hard  her  husband's  hand,  but 
neither  of  them  spoke.  Their  hearts 
throbbed  with  blissful  expectation;  they 
were  surer  now  than  ever  that  their 
prayers  would  be  answered. 

With  a  quick  movement  the  image  of 
Christ  released  the  wooden  sandal  from 
its  foot  and  let  it  drop  toward  the 
devotees,  then  relapsed  into  its  usual 
attitude,  looking  down  upon  them  from 
the  cross  with  the  same  stern  and  sor- 
rowful mien  as  before. 

It  was  all  the  work  of  a  second,  and 


40  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

the  old  couple  would  not  have  believed 
their  eyes  but  for  the  sandal  that  lay 
on  the  floor  in  plain  sight.  It  was  only 
an  ordinary  sandal,  with  wooden  sole 
and  leather  thongs.  It  bore  no  precious 
stone  or  other  ornamentation,  and  was 
altogether  valueless. 

Apparently  the  noble  Lady,  who  still 
lingered  near,  thought  the  two  old  peas- 
ants were  disappointed. 

"Alas!"  she  said,  pityingly,  "this 
sandal  may  seem  a  poor  reward  for  your 
great  sacrifice,  but  it  is  not  yet  too  late 
to  change  your  minds.  You  may  let  it 
lie  where  it  is  and  take  back  your 
florins " 

The  two  old  peasants  glanced  up  at 
her,  almost  rebukingly. 

"Dear,  noble  Lady,  what  do  you 
mean!"  they  exclaimed.  "The  Sacred 
Image  has  certainly  granted  us  all  that 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  41 

He  could  in  His  poverty.  He  has  per- 
formed a  miracle  to  give  us  this  sandal. 
That,  surely,  is  worth  a  thousand  times 
more  than  our  paltry  florins!" 

At  these  words  the  Lady's  counte- 
nance became  radiant  with  the  tender- 
est  of  smiles. 

"You  are  true  servants  of  my  Son," 
she  said,  "and  your  faith  in  Him  shall 
not  be  betrayed.  The  innocent  wishes 
of  the  faithful  God  will  always  grant." 

The  Stately  Lady  now  became  en- 
veloped in  light  so  clear  and  dazzling 
that  the  old  couple  had  to  close  their 
eyes ;  and  when  they  opened  them  again 
the  church  was  in  darkness,  the  candles 
were  extinguished,  the  organ  music  was 
hushed,  and  the  beautiful  Lady  had 
vanished. 

But  there  was  scarcely  time  to  marvel 
at  the  change,  for  they  were  not  left 


42  THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

alone  the  space  of  a  second.  The 
church  doors  were  suddenly  thrown 
open  and  the  sacristan  came  rushing  in. 

"Saintly  travelers ! "  he  cried.  "  What 
a  miracle !  I  witnessed  it.  I  was  sitting 
on  the  step  waiting  for  you;  but  when 
you  lingered  on  and  on,  I  got  up  and 
peeped  through  the  key-hole.  Then  I 
saw  you  move  forward  in  streams  of 
celestial  light  and  I  saw  the  Holy 
Mother  of  God  step  down  from  the 
altar  and  walk  with  you.  And  then  I 
saw  the  Crucified  One  bend  over  you 
to  present  to  you  His  sandal.  Ah,  but 
you  must  come  with  me  at  once  to  the 
Bishop!" 

He  took  them  along  to  the  Bishop, 
who  sat  in  the  Chapter-house  sur- 
rounded by  his  priests.  He  narrated; 
the  two  old  peasants  narrated,  so  that 
finally  the  Reverend  Fathers  realized 


THE  SACRED  IMAGE  43 

that  a  great  miracle  had  been  performed. 

For  the  first,  the  Bishop  summoned 
his  treasurer. 

"My  friend,"  he  said,  "I  would  pur- 
chase the  sandal  which  these  good  people 
in  so  marvelous  a  manner  have  received 
from  the  Sacred  Image  for  the  sum  of 
three  thousand  florins,  if  they  will  sell 
it  to  me.  I  do  not  wish  to  have  it  borne 
away  from  Lucca." 

When  the  money  had  been  counted 
out  and  placed  in  the  old  man's  hand, 
the  Bishop  said  to  the  pilgrims: 

"  Before  you  leave  Lucca  I  invite  you 
to  be  present  with  us  at  the  removal  of 
the  Sacred  Image  to  its  proper  place, 
above  the  main  altar.  But  thereupon 
you  must  hasten  back  by  the  way  you 
came  and  relate  all  that  you  have  ex- 
perienced to  each  and  every  one  who 
will  listen.     I  rejoice  that  through  you 


'44    "  '      THE  SACRED  IMAGE 

the  galley  slave  will  be  loosed  from  his 
bonds  and  your  good  neighbor's  daugh- 
ter will  be  cured  of  her  sickness,  just  as 
I  am  certain  that  the  sacristan  will  not 
fail  to  let  the  church  rosebush  come  to 
bloom." 

He  paused  a  moment,  then  raising 
his  hands  over  the  two  old  peasants 
he  said: 

"It  is  you  who  are  wise;  we  are  the 
fools!  Who  among  us  does  not  know 
that  God  is  all  powerful?  And  yet 
not  one  of  us  dares  rely  wholly  on  His 
support.  Thank  God  for  the  gift  of 
Faith!  It  is  the  greatest  of  all  His 
blessings." 


14  JJAY    Ubt 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


t          arf.u^c^o\Mm 

REC'D  LD 

JU!   151963 

